


Missing Stars

by Wolfiecat0159



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Mystery, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-17 02:55:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29093097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wolfiecat0159/pseuds/Wolfiecat0159
Summary: Ashleay Brooke has spent her life trying to live a quiet and normal life. When the walls fall down in her hometown Shiganshina, she has to leave behind everything she knew. Years later Ash fears ghosts from her past and decides to join the 104th Cadet Crop with her best friend Amelia Hart. Now Ash and Ame aged 25 are members of the survey corp. When those ghosts start coming back Ash finds herself in the underground looking for people who have gone missing. Ash knows she can’t keep running forever and her hopes of a normal life fade as the world shifts around her. Ash has to make a choice. She can only pray it will be the right one.





	1. Prologue: Coverart

The image shows a dark, grassy field below a moonlit sky filled with stars.


	2. Chapter 2

**“Life starts now. You’ve done all the things that could kill you somehow. And you’re so far down. But you will survive this somehow because life starts now.” Life Starts Now by Three Days Grace**

I was at home painting with Amelia next to me watching.

“How did you ever get so good at this?” She asked me.

“I’m not that good. I have just spent a lot of time painting I guess,” I told her.

“You are good! You’re amazing!” Ame said nudging me slightly. “I’m being honest!”

She was. I could tell, I always seemed to know when people were lying to me. I was good at reading people, I had a lot of practice at that as well.

I felt the house start to shake around me and I got a sinking feeling that something was terribly wrong. I turned to Amelia. “We should leave. Now.”

We got up and sprinted down the stairs. I had zero ideas on what was going on around me but for a split second time seemed to slow down as I ran through the house.

My older brother Lefric was already helping our little sister, Willow. He had picked her up since she couldn’t run very far on her own. “Ashleay, Amelia, we have to go. A titan kicked down the wall.”

“What?” Ame and I said in unison. I looked out the window and froze. There was a titan over 50 meters tall, peering out over the wall. How would a titan know to do that?

“Am I lying?” He asked me. I could tell he was terrified. “You know I’m not. We have to go. They’ll have everyone at the canal on ships or the gate. What's the fastest way there?”

I didn’t stop the explain it, I just flew out of the house and started running. I checked back to make sure Lefric and Amelia were with me.

“Amelia what about your family?” I asked her.

"We live closer to the gate than you do, we'll find them on our way. Just keep moving!"

Willow had her eyes squeezed shut as Lefric carried her down the streets. I knew the short-cuts to get around quickly. I had spent a lot of time walking through Shiganishna, learning the entire layout.

I spotted my mother running back to the house. “Mom, we’re over here!” I shouted.

She ran to us. “Where is your father? Elenor?” She looked so scared.

"I'm not sure. We're focusing on getting Willow to safety," Lefric explained. “You should come with us.”

Mom shook her head, “You’re safe for now. I need to make sure Elenor and your father are okay. I’ll look for your family Amelia.”

Amelia nodded, she looked like she was about to start crying, “Please, get them to safety.”

Everything had erupted into chaos around us. I looked back and for the first time, I saw titans. They were bigger than I could have imagined and they stared on lifelessly as they crushed anything in their path. People were screaming all around us.

I was tired and out of breath, but I forced myself to run as fast as I could. I wasn’t very tall, only 4’10 which made it harder to lead Amelia who I felt was the world’s fastest runner.

Amelia grabbed my hand and started pulling me. “Just tell me the direction we need to go and we’ll go.”

I spotted the boat and pointed, too out of breath to speak clearly. We ran as fast as we could toward that boat. We made it on and stopped to breathe. Lefric was tired from carrying Willow and Willow insisted she could stand on her own.

Willow had always been sickly and weak, if Lefric hadn't carried her she couldn't have made it very far. But she was braver than I could ever be. I ran to the side of the boat and threw up. I wasn't sure if it was running so hard or fear that made me throw up.

We looked up at what was Shiganshina. I didn’t see Mom, Dad, or Elenor on the boat. Amelia didn’t see anyone from her family.

“Ashleay…” Lefric hugged me. “We’re going to be okay, alright? I can get a job and we’ll have shelter. If they try to make us join the survey corp because we’re adults we say we can’t because we have to take care of Willow.”

I nodded, that made sense. I wanted to hold onto the hope that our families would be okay. But I knew they weren't.

Five years passed and I knew Elenor, Mom, Dad, and Amelia’s families had been killed. My brother had a stable job, and he and his fiancé, Charlotte, could support Willow just fine. I on the other hand knew I needed to get as far away from here as possible. My eldest brother was still alive and I didn’t like the idea of him finding me after the walls fell down. Amelia started going by Ame, I started going by Ash, and we were off to join the survey corp. Far away from my MP eldest brother. We were now a part of the 104th cadet squad.

I woke up to the sound of Ame calling my name while shaking the bunk bed. She made me climb the stupid ladder every night and every morning, insisting on the bottom bunk. I made my way down and went to breakfast where I felt out of place. I was still a cadet, but a squad leader by the name of Emma had insisted we spend time with her squad to see if we would be a good fit.

Tallulah, part of that squad sat down next to us, “Sleep okay?”

Ame nodded, “Still waking up Ash every day.”

Tallulah was a member of the mapping squad. Its job had been to map out new areas we found outside the walls and keep a note of any terrain changes over the years. Now that the outer wall had fallen, they were just like any other squad. Only everyone in it seemed to be exceptionally smart. Ame often remarked that she had no idea why Emma chose her specifically. Emma was the squad leader. A tall woman with straight black hair, brown eyes, and her face made her look angry most of the time. Her nose was straight and narrow and her gaze seemed to cut through you. I liked her.

The other members were Peter, Leon, and Travis. Peter was kind and always called people by their entire first name, no nicknames allowed. Leon hated that as he went by Leo and only Leo. Travis was like a silent shadow. He had very little to say which made you listen when he did say something. Leo just avoided me.

“Try to wake up a bit,” Ame said nudging me. “You look half asleep.”

I was half asleep. I looked around the room wanting to know who was in it that I knew. Emma was talking with other squad leaders. Eren was staring blankly in my direction, though I didn't think he was trying to look at me specifically. I waved and he snapped back to reality. He mouthed "sorry" and turned to listen to his friend Armin.

Tallulah’s voice caused me to turn back around, “Don’t forget our squad has a meeting today. Emma wants to talk to us.”

Ame nodded and smiled, “We won’t.”

I was just about to start eating when a Levi walked past. He glared at me like I had just killed someone. “Mind getting your foot off the chair? Someone has to clean that.”

I always sat with one foot up on the chair in some kind of way. I decided to listen though. He walked away. I really didn’t like him. I knew why he made such a grand display at Eren’s trial, but I didn’t have to agree with it. I had seen too much violence in my lifetime. All the more reason to be in the survey corp where the enemy isn’t human. 

Soon the meeting was about to start and I headed down with Ame. We took our seats and I was surprised to see Commander Erwin there.

“The Commander would like to join us to see how Ash and Ame are doing,” Emma said.

Erwin looked at her like she wasn’t supposed to say that.

"We will be going on an expedition soon and he wants to if we can think of a better route than the already good one he has. There are no wrong answers unless they include not going on the expedition. With that in mind, we can start. Ash, Ame, take a moment to look at the map of where we are going.”

"We believe heading through the forest will be useful. It may not be the fastest route but we can still use the trees to our advantage in case of any titans. They're tall so we can use the ODM gear effectively," Erwin said. "Now it's just up to find a path through said forest. I think we have a map on the forest already."

Emma pulled out the map and laid it out on the table, "This was made a couple of years ago. Study it well. We should come up with an idea together.”

I looked at the map, "I think the place we enter should be closest to where we are starting to get there faster. The exit closest to Shiganshina. Then we just need a route through.” I looked up and then back down. It was an obvious answer, not exactly the hardest to figure out.

Peter pointed to the two areas I was talking about, “It’s a little hard to tell on the map but these should work just fine. It won’t be a straight line in reality.”

There was a river that cut through part of the forest where we would be going. “Is there a narrow point that we can cross?” I asked.

Tallulah nodded and pointed to a section of the river, “If the map is correct we can cross here. The horses aren’t afraid of water which is good, but I don’t like the idea of swimming across.”

“Ash, Ame, anything else to add?” Emma asked. She looked at Ame specifically.

Ame shrugged, “I don’t know why you’re asking me. I'm not completely braindead. I was placed here to protect the smart people while they do smart things. They tend to pause to think and don’t realize that they’re about to get eaten.” Ame looked at me, specifically.

“You are smart, just in some different ways,” Tallulah tried to reassure her.

“Maybe. Ash is a terrible fighter and even with her head I still beat her,” Ame smiled.

“Are we not helping out with any formations?” Tallulah leaned back so far in her chair that Peter had to hold it steady from behind so that she wouldn’t fall. If I remembered correctly she and Peter were cousins.

“Not this time,” Erwin said.

"Isn't there any way we can at least hear about it? I'm sure we can offer suggestions." Emma turned to him, tapping a finger on her crossed arms.

“No.”

Emma stifled a sigh. "With all due respect sir, this squad was created not only for maps but for formations every now and then."

“I will explain it to you specifically later, Emma,” Erwin said before leaving. He paused to look at Ame and me. I had no idea what he was thinking. He gave a small nod and left.

Emma blinked, possibly expecting more of an argument from Erwin, “You are dismissed.”

Commander Erwin was nearly impossible to read, I decided. Even Levi was slightly more readable and he never showed any expression on his face. Just flat and cold. I felt like Commander Erwin _did_ express more emotions, but I could never figure out truly which ones. I couldn’t tell what either of them were thinking, ever.

Ame came at me and I immediately tried to move out of the way, only to still lose my balance and almost fall. I took that moment to remember her patterns. She would almost certainly attack with her right this time.

And she did. I dodged and grabbed her arm. I realize I was off balance a little too late. She had already knocked me down. She smiled and helped me back up.

The next time she tried to attack her with her right I grabbed her arm and tripped her, stepping just out of the way. Ame was smarter than that though, she pushed herself back up from the ground and I found myself dodging out of the way again. She was faster than I was, I just had to think.

Ame was right-handed, so was I. But she might have a harder time if I used my left. This time, I used my right to distract her, and attacked with my left. I actually managed to hit her, and in response, she knocked me to the ground again.

We kept going and I didn't beat anyone. Peter had been very kind and helped teach me what I was doing wrong. Unfortunately, he was over a foot taller than me and I couldn't knock him down to save my life. He stood at 6'2 which was extremely unfair.

Ame sat down next to me at lunch. Peter and Tallulah did as well. Emma was talking to some of the other captains and she seemed very annoyed.

I had zoned out from the conversation until Petra sat down with us. She smiled.

“Aren’t you going to sit with the rest of your squad?” Ame asked her.

Petra shook her head. "I wanted a break. How are you two adjusting? I know you're still cadets but Emma likes to test those who she wants in her squad first. I've heard she's hard on everyone."

“Emma’s a great captain!” Ame smiled, for a moment she almost looked like a kid talking about someone she looked up to. “She’s not that hard on us, she’s just serious. Although she still makes jokes every now and then.”

_Not as serious as yours._ I thought. _Emma at least knows how to smile even if it's rare. I think I would rather be faced with a titan than deal with your captain everyday Petra._

“She did the same thing for all of us. She tries to keep a close eye on the cadet corps to see who she wants to let in. I think she wanted Armin to join but I think he’ll be put with Eren.” Peter said.

Petra talked with Ame and Peter for a little longer. Eventually, near the end of lunch, Petra left.

I remembered when Ame and I were little, I had told her I wanted to have wings like a bird so I could just fly out of here without fear. I could be free. I got wings, just not what I was expecting them to be. I didn't feel very brave yet.

That night I climbed back up the ladder and laid down in bed. For the first time since I got here, I found myself crying. I didn’t make any sounds, I just felt the tears rolling down my face as I stared at the ceiling. I wasn’t even sure why I was crying. I rolled over onto my side and closed my eyes, waiting to fall asleep and for tomorrow to arrive. I thought about what Ame had told me when we first decided to join the military. “Life starts now.” She had said, while a sad smile on her face.

Emma POV

Emma knocked on the door to Erwin's office.

“Come in.” A voice said.

Emma opened the door. Erwin was sitting at his desk while Levi was sitting in a chair across from him.

“Do you need something, Emma?” Erwin asked.

Emma took a deep breath. She didn't want to cause trouble, but she had to do what she thought was right. "I need to speak with you, sir."

“Well that was obvious but what is it about?” Levi turned around and looked at her.

She forced a smile, “Good to see you as always.”

"Well, I'll get out of your way, Captain Emma," Levi said and he left the room, closing the door with force behind him.

Emma tried not to smile to herself. She had nothing against him personally, but sometimes he could be a little dramatic in her eyes.

"Sit," Erwin said, looking up at her.

Emma sat down in the rather uncomfortable chair. “With all due respect sir, the mapping squad is supposed to assist you with planning. You have shoved a bunch of people who like to work these things out like a puzzle, and given them nothing to do.”

Erwin sighed and seemed to finally pay attention to what she was saying. "Emma, do you trust my judgment."

"I do when I know what you're planning. Forgive me but I'm not a very good soldier and you know this. I will not blindly follow orders." Emma started to feel frustrated, didn't he know what the squad was for? Why make her a captain if she never got to do anything for her squad?

After a moment, he spoke. “Of course.” He took a long pause, trying to think of what to say next. “I am trying to keep Eren’s location safe. If there is anyone else out there who is a titan-shifter with bad intentions, they can not get to him.”

“So you put him in the safest position and you are going to give others the wrong plan?”

“Yes. I will give your squad the correct ones if that makes you feel any better.”

“You trust even the new members?” Emma asked.

“Yes. It should have occurred to me you would have figured that out if I gave you the wrong map.”

And what happens if the correct map on Erens location is given to the wrong person, Emma thought to herself.

“Why didn’t you just say that in the meeting?” If he was so willing to tell her now, why hide it from her squad?

“Because you aren’t going to tell them which one is wrong and which one is right. If you have faith in them let them figure it out.” Erwin said.

That didn’t make any sense. None at all. Perhaps Erwin had been worried about people overhearing? But then why tell her now? Suddenly she felt stupid for not being able to figure it out.

“Thank you, sir," Emma said, still confused.

“You may go now.”

Emma got up and left, closing the door behind her.

"Are you finally done?" Levi asked. "You look even more confused than you did earlier."

Emma let out a long sigh. “I’m starting to realize why Ashleay doesn’t like you.”

“Good for her.” He said. “Whatever he told you, just use your head for once. You’ll figure it out.” With that, he went back into Erwin's office, closing the door with much less force this time.

Emma gathered her long dark hair in one hand and dropped it back down. Something she often did when stressed. Maybe tonight, she would look at the stars and clear her mind. Looking at the night sky, with a blue so dark it looked almost black, and bright colorful stars calmed her down. This was a puzzle she was going to solve.


	3. Chapter 3

**“No matter how hard you try, I’ll always belong in the sky,” -Buy the stars by Marina & The Diamonds**

* * *

**Ash POV**

The underground. It was the one thing on my mind and I couldn't get it out. I was in a carriage with Ame, Peter, and the two Military Police members sent to aid us. Patrik Kellner and Monica Fisch. I listened to the rhythmic clip-clop of hoofs on the ground and I realized I had no idea where we were being taken, I didn't know where the underground entrance was located. The carriage was blue, I noted, with silver accents. Which was a little strange to me but it gave me something else to focus on. Monica was staring at me and Patrik was talking to Ame and Peter.

"I don't understand why they want survey corp help," Ame said to Patrik.

Patrik just shrugged, "No idea. They didn't tell me."

In my head, I raced through every possible outcome. Checking each one off as it came to me, and discarding anything too extreme sounding. Maybe it was all a clever scheme by my brother but somehow that didn't feel right. He would make sure this entire fiasco had as few holes in whatever plan he had as possible if he even had a plan in the first place. Meanwhile, I was left in the dark. I had no idea what the underground was like. Captian Levi had told Ame a few things but it wasn't enough to really know. Still, part of me was glad that Captian Levi wasn't here. I wanted to do things as peacefully and smoothly as possible.

The carriage stopped and we were told to step out. Monica didn't take her eyes off me as they slowly narrowed. I would have to figure out what her problem was later. I held her gaze for a moment before looking to see who had asked us to get out. My heart stopped for a moment.

"Today you have been tasked with the mission to find three missing people that we know of, Cassandra Miller, Ryan Miller, and Xander Hansen. Lotte Isla, Marcello Arnette, and Eryk Silva are other names possibly linked to this case." Chimon, my older brother started speaking immediately without even glancing at me. "You have three days to look for possible leads and track them down before this case is ignored. Many other missing people could be linked to this case, but these are the most notable."

I felt a pang of pity for the missing people, only being given a few days to be found, it wasn't fair to them. I tried to ignore the presence of my brother as best as possible and I felt Ame take my hand.

"Patrik, Monica, please listen to what our Survey corp members have to tell you when down there. Do your best to help them." Chimon finished, he looked at me and I felt my gaze shoot down to the ground. I couldn't look up, I felt sick to my stomach.

We were led to the entrance and before heading down I looked once more at the sky, the warm glow of the sun felt so close. The sky went on for forever up here. It had always been something that was there, something I had never really thought of.

The first thing I wasn't expecting is how large the underground was. The roof was well over 50 meters high and buildings were squished together to fit as much as possible. There were lights everywhere, but that didn't stop the shadows creeping in every corner. If the light was removed the entire place would be shrouded in total darkness.

Patrik was looking out over the city, "This has been here the entire time."

"Thanks for pointing out the obvious." Ame's reply was hardly more than a whisper as she was only half paying attention to him. "How are we ever going to find someone down here?"

Monica was still looking at me, "We need to start asking around. Vague questions first before giving out any names."

"Best to start now," Peter gave a half-hearted smile. "We have three days to find a needle in a haystack. We also need to find a place to stay for the night whenever that is so we are rested."

It was 1:00 pm already, I got the feeling I would be checking the time very often.

We started moving down into the city itself. There were so many people walking past, most ignoring our presence. The ones that did hardly seemed to care, or they just moved faster. There were people, but it felt dead. The sun felt so far away now.

"Where was Cassandra and Ryan Miller reported missing?" I asked Patrik.

"I'm not sure, but their address should be 353 Smith Street." He told me.

"Then let's go there first," Peter suggested. "What I would do for a map right now."

I kept note of the area. We passed a small market place and stopped to ask for directions. The stall keeper told us where to go without so much as looking at us.

"Why are they so unhappy about us being here?" Ame asked.

"The military police would only ever talk to them if necessary. They've probably never seen a Survey Corp member down here before. They know it means trouble and don't want any association," Monica told her sharply.

"Yes ma'am,' Ame said rolling her eyes.

Patrik looked at Monica, "Monica, there is no reason to be upset right now."

Monica just shrugged and went back to ignoring everyone.

"Sorry, she's always like this," Patrik explained. "She's upset about having to come on this mission."

I nodded and went back to thinking. I needed to know what the missing people all had in common. Many Cassandra and Ryan's families would be able to give us something we could look for in the others. I just hoped that they would be in the mood to talk.

We arrived at their house and Ame knocked on the door. A rather tall woman answered and for a moment she seemed surprised, "What do you want?"

"We're here to ask about the recent people who have gone missing. Do you know anything about Cassandra and Ryan Miller?" Ame asked her.

Her expression turned from suspicion to sadness. "I'm their mother. Have you found them?"

Ame shook her head, "No. We need to know when you last saw them."

The women nodded and let us in, "It's been two weeks since I reported them missing."

We went inside the women's home. She told us her name was Martha. Her husband was still at work. Martha was sickly pale, her eyes were a light brown and her brown hair fell in thin waves. She looked sad and tired.

I focused on the room for a moment. The house was small and furniture was crammed together. There were pictures on the wall and I was able to get a look at what I assumed was Cassandra and Ryan. Cassandra looked like her mother, with brown hair and light eyes. Ryan had medium brown hair and blue eyes. I felt determined to find them. Clearly, they had been able to pay for the pictures to be painted. The paintings weren't bad either, they were nice and I noted the attention to small details. Whoever had made them, I liked.

"Two weeks ago Ryan had been late coming home. We looked everywhere but we couldn't find him. He was last seen in the market area. He had completely vanished off the streets. Two days later Cassy also disappeared. She left a note saying that she would be back home before dinner but she never returned." Martha told us trying her best not to break down. "I just want them home safe."

I turned my head back to look at her and then back at the paintings. "Is that them?"

Martha nodded, "You can take the picture with you if you like."

"That's okay, you can keep it. I don't forget faces." I took another second to look at them closely. "How old are they?"

"Ryan is thirteen, Cassy is seventeen." She got up and took the picture off the wall to hold it close.

"I don't understand, why would anyone take them?" Peter asked. "Can you think of any reason why?"

Martha shook her head, "No. I can't think of any reason why. I work as a teacher and my husband works in a factory. There is no reason why they would be targets."

"Have any of their friends gone missing or anyone else that you know?" I asked her, thinking about the list of names.

Martha again shook her head, "I don't believe so. They're the only ones. Please just bring them back to me."

"We will do everything we can," Ame said to her. "We may come back tomorrow if we can think of anything else to ask. If you think of anything that might be useful let us know.

We got up to leave and Martha looked at me. "I think someone else from this area went missing. Her name is Ariella Jensen. She lived about five houses down."

"Thank you," Patrik said as we exited her home.

We moved onto the fifth house but the people living there had no idea who Ariella Jensen was. They told us that nearby Xander Hansen had gone missing and we decided to go there next. Unfortunately, we were not met with the same kindness that Martha had shown us.

"My brother has been missing for three weeks and they only now send someone to look for him?" A young man who I placed at about twenty-two shouted at us.

"Please we just need to know if there is anything you can tell us," Ame pleaded with him.

He shook his head. "What would anyone take a twenty-five-year-old man for? He wasn't a young kid or anyone special. He's just my brother." The door was slammed in our faces.

Monica let out a breath, "Well that turned out to be a huge help."

"You can't blame them for being upset. Three weeks is a long time to wait," Peter lingered at the door for a moment longer before turning back around. "I would be just as upset."

Monica crossed her arms and scowled, "Well they should know we're trying to help them now."

"You would be slamming the door in our face as well Monica," Patrik muttered. I got the feeling he didn't want to upset Monica too much.

"We need to find out as much as we can from these people," I told Monica. "So let's try not to make them angry. We should start asking around and finding what we can. I just wish we had gotten a chance to look around the houses, there could be something in there that's useful to us. Maybe they all knew the same person and the families have no reason so suspect as such."

Peter nodded, "I agree. Just try to remember anything that you have found."

Our conversation was interrupted by shouting.

"It's coming from the next street," Ame started running and took a sharp right turn at the intersection. We followed her.

We pushed through a crowd of people and Peter pushed me further forward so I could see. There was an old woman on the ground crying while a much younger woman knelt beside her trying to help her up.

"What happened?" Patrik asked.

Someone near us responded, "I'm not sure. She just started screaming."

"Did you see anyone else?" I pressed, trying to push the pain the old woman was feeling away.

The stranger nodded, "I saw someone back away into an alleyway soon after."

We followed the stranger's directions to a nearby alleyway, a small road shoved between two buildings. It would have looked like a dead-end if the road didn't veer off to the left. Shadows cast over the pathways making it hard to see anything.

The pathway led out to an open street full of people walking past. I looked back and this was the only way through. If anyone had come through it would be impossible to find them through the crowd of people. It felt hard to imagine that this had been underground the entire time.

"We should start asking people if they have seen anything," Peter lowered his voice. "But don't press too hard for information, they know who we are. We can't force anything out of them."

Was he worried that they wouldn't say anything because we were in the military? They weren't the most respected in Shiganshina so maybe that would be the same here.

"We meet back here in fifteen minutes," Peter said.

I split off from the rest of them and looked around for someone who I felt would be willing to talk. I decided that any street vendor would be a good start as they observed a lot of who went past. I also decided anyone who seemed to just be watching was a good idea. People-watchers always had a lot to share.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a fast-moving chapter but yay we are finally in the underground where most of the story will be taking place! I am aiming for around 20 chapters but that might change. We have also met Chimon who for the life of me I can’t remember how I got his name. So I have no idea what I was thinking a few years ago when I created Ash and her family. Oh well, I think it’s a pretty cool sounding name! More about Chimon will come slowly as Ash tries not to think about him too often, but I hope to have him play a more important role one day.


	4. Chapter 4

**“If you wanna start a fight, you better thrown the first punch. Make it a good one.” -The Good, The Bad and the Dirty by Panic! At the Disco**

Ash POV

I was trying my best to fill my free time with Ame. I wanted to do something besides training.

“You’re bored again, aren’t you?” Ame chuckled.

I look up at the ceiling above my bed. “I agreed to rest, but I didn’t know it was going to be this boring.” I had always gotten bored easily, trying to give myself time to think never went very well.

“Ash it’s been five minutes,” She said. “We can go somewhere else.”

I followed her down to the mess hall. We didn’t have anywhere else to go. Most people were off visiting family or doing something productive at home.

“Ashleay, your Captain and the commander want to see you,” Levi said walking over.

“Okay, sure.” I got up from where I had been sitting with Ame and turned back to look at her. She gave me a shrug.

“I’m almost curious about why you resent me so much.” He said but I think he already knew the answer to that. He wasn’t completely stupid.

I didn’t answer him. I had grown up with violence e it made me hate violence. I didn’t want to see Eren get a tooth knocked out even if it had saved his life.

“If you hate violence so much then why join the Survey corp? Or correct me if I’m wrong about that.”

“Titans is different from people I suppose. And it’s not like I had many options,” I kept my response vague. I wasn’t going to tell him what I meant by that. I just needed to make sure my brother couldn’t reach me anymore.

“I suppose that’s a fair point,” Levi didn’t press further.

After a moment though he changed the subject slightly. “You don’t exactly seem like the type to want to fight at all, titans or not. I’m still very curious on the reasons you had for joining, and why Emma has made any decision ever.”

“Well, I think there is finally something we can agree on. Emma makes no sense to me either.”

“You’ll get used to it.”

I said nothing more and just kept walking. Levi always had a smug look on his face, while at the same time having no expression. It was infuriating.

I entered the room to find Commander Erwin, Captain Emma, and Hange standing there. Emma seemed worried.

“Ash, you got a letter that is… concerning,” Emma told me.

I felt my heart pick up its pace. “Is it about my sister?” I knew she wasn’t as weak as I told myself she was, she was stronger than she let herself seem. Still, I worried.

Emma shook her head. “Your sister is fine. It’s from your brother. Your eldest one.”

I felt my heart stop as I took the letter from her. I opened it and read it slowly. Fear creeping up my spine as I read each word. He had found a way to reach me anyways, and I would just have to play along like I always had.

“We can’t just send you to the underground to find missing people because your brother told you to.” Emma started.

“I’ll do it,” I said, looking up at her.

Emma blinked. “Why? He’s an MP, not your commander.”

“The underground isn’t just someplace for you to mess around in.” Levi chimed in. “What I don’t get is what makes this so special, people go missing all the time down there.”

I sighed, not sure how to explain this to them. “My brother won’t stop until I’m down there. I don’t know why he wants me down there so badly but it’s easier to just go along with it. Then you won’t have to deal with him.”

“Why would he want to do that? It sounds like a waste of time.” Emma responded she was the only one in the room I could see showing genuine concern.

I couldn’t explain to them exactly why I was agreeing, but I was. I didn’t want to tell them how scared I was of my sibling. Erwin seemed vaguely interested, while Levi just stared at me. His gray eyes were cold and unfeeling.

“Take Amelia and Peter with you,” Erwin said. “If you want to go down there so bad at least take them with you. Though you know he can’t force you. I’m not even sure how he pulled this off.”

I nodded absently, already thinking about how I was going to explain myself to Ame. I knew she would come with me no matter what even if she wasn’t happy about it.

Leaving the room, I let out a sigh of relief, no one put up much of a fight. Maybe this mission would be a good thing anyway, I could at least try and help someone.

A few days had passed and Ame and Peter had agreed to come with me. Peter didn’t question it much, he just shrugged and said “Sure.” I liked Peter, he was kind. He got excited easily and it was nice having him around. He was like a gentle giant. Peter was smart, fast, and kept calm under pressure as I had come to learn.

I was sitting with Peter and Ame when Peter turned to look at me. “Ashleay, I think it would be a good idea to learn as much about this underground as we possibly can. Which means talking to someone who knows about the underground.”

“I’ll do it,” Ame said rather quickly. “Don’t stress about it, Ash.”

I didn’t reply. Doubt started filling my mind and I wasn’t sure about what I was doing now. Everything felt like it was moving at a snail's pace now. I felt strangely trapped within the walls of the Survey Corp Base. Now I did want some time to think, sort through my options, and figure out how exactly I was going to pull this off.

“While you go do that Amelia, Ashleay and I can go for a walk. It will be good to take a break for a bit.” Peter said after a few moments. He looked at me and I knew it wasn’t worth arguing with him.

So, we went for a walk around the surrounding town. I started trying to think through everything and realized I had no idea where to start. In the space of a few days I had managed to dig myself into a hole I couldn’t get myself out of.

Peter looked disappointed. “If only there was something to look at _besides_ buildings.”

I looked up at the buildings. Small homes with stone bases and wood for the roof and second floor. It didn’t look very different from Shiganshina and wasn’t that bad to look at. It felt different though, even under the same sky and air. I took in a breath and watched large white clouds cover the sun. The wind whistled for just a moment before settling back down.

“Emma says the air outside the walls is even better. Once we take back Wall Maria we can reach it. She says being out there feels like being free from everything.” Peter said, looking up at the sky with a relaxed smile on his face.

“Why did you ask me to go on a walk?” I asked him.

He seemed to focus now. “Because you didn’t think things through and you still can’t. Honestly, I was expecting a little better of you than to just agree with what someone tells you.”

“Well sorry, I disappointed you.” I snapped, immediately feeling guilty. He wasn’t trying to be cruel, just honest. Which is probably what I needed right now.

Peter didn’t seem to care though. “You technically aren’t an official Survey Corp member but Emma likes to forget that about everyone she wants in her squad. She’s going to use this as a test. Just like everyone else in our squad she takes them out of training early. I don’t know how she gets away with it. I’m worried about you Ashleay, you’re in over your head. Even Amelia has expressed her fear of going into the underground as just cadets.”

“Then why aren’t you talking to her about it?” I picked up the pace slightly, trying not to feel annoyed.

Peter matched my pace. “Because she has already talked about it. She’s honest with what she thinks and feels. You’re not the only one who can read people Ashleay, we can argue some other time if you’re better at it than me. I’m worried you might start thinking that when things go wrong it’s your fault and you have to fix it. Tallulah does the same thing. What I want to know is why you decided to take some mission into the underground that the military police should handle.”

Finally, he had gotten to the point. “That's what this is about then. I can’t explain it. You don’t have to come with me and Ame if you don’t want to. Stay here, visit your family.” I wasn’t ready to explain to him why I agreed. My fear of my eldest brother was something I talked about with Lefric, my other older brother, Willow, my younger sister, and Amelia. No one else would believe what I said anyways.

“I’m going with you,” Peter said with a small smile. “I think of you as a friend even if you hate me after this.”

I didn’t say anything. I hadn’t thought about if I was friends with anyone besides Ame before. Peter seemed like a friend though.

After a few minutes of walking Peter looked back at me, “If you are determined, we will find the missing people. Then you can join the Survey Corp fully and finally get to go on a real expedition.”

We returned back to the Survey Corps and Emma came to find us, telling us we were having a meeting.

* * *

Amelia POV

Ame left the meeting room with Ash. Not much had been discussed, and she had more important things to worry about now. Like how long they would be gone on this ridiculous mission.

Ame knew deep down that she wasn’t really needed for anything more than moral support. Though Ash would disagree with her saying she was important and needed. Peter was a force to be reckoned with and would have no problem fighting off anyone while they looked for those who went missing. Still, she was more than willing to join. They would finish the mission and head back up, she was confident about that. No, what she worried about was Ash. She was… fragile about these sorts of things.

“Normally I’m the one with nothing to say,” Ash said, pulling Ame from her thoughts.

Ame smiled at her, “Yeah well, it’s been a long few days.” A few long and very uneventful days.

Ash frowned, “You don’t have to come with me.”

“I’m going with you,” Ame responded, her voice more commanding than she meant it to be. “Go mull over the plans, you know you want to.”

Ash left and Ame found herself walking around with no real direction of where to go. The halls did feel empty, maybe they needed help taking care of the horses. The squad system was nice and even worked when just doing everyday chores. The captain giving orders and everyone doing their part. Here, however, certain groups dealt with certain tasks. Horse care, maintenance, food prep. These were often moved around per day, but things like the horses stayed with the same few squads. It was organized. Just how she liked things to be.

She stepped outside, feeling the cool air rush against her felt soothing after so long inside a small stuffy room. Ame smiled to herself and walked down to the horse stalls.

She recognized a few people, Annabell, Tyler, and Zak. They were from one of the squads that normally trained the horses. She also spotted some of the captains talking.

“Hello, Ame!” Annabell called, waving her arm in the air.

“Hello,” Ame said walking over. “Is there anything I can help you with?”

Annabell shook her head, “not today, sorry. I know you don’t have a lot to do right now.”

That much was true. She could continue training but that got boring after a while when by yourself. Ame wanted to go home like so many others did for a week or two, but she had no family to return to. The thought made her heartache, she missed her parents and sister desperately every single day. She would never see them again.

She left and Captian Levi called her over.

‘Yes sir?” She dipped her head slightly. Her mother had told her to do that to show respect, Ame never understood why. By now it was just force of habit.

“So, you’re determined to go to the underground?” He asked her.

Ame for a moment thought she saw a hint of concern. “Yes. I am.”

He sighed, “You need to remember that the citizens living there are stubborn. They have to be to survive. You can’t press for information without someone finding out about it. Word travels fast so keep your head down and don’t be an idiot. Specifically, for you, don’t be impulsive.”

Ame listened as Levi told her a few vague stories about his life in the underground. Just enough so she could get an idea of what to expect. She doubted they were any different from everyone else, people just trying to survive.

Still, she was grateful that Levi was telling her this. He wasn’t her favorite person in the world but she respected him. Ame appreciated that he was direct and honest.

When she left she felt slightly sick, she had no idea what was going to happen, or if she would even make it out alive. She had to go through, her best friend was counting on her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that was chapter 2! I’m still trying to decide if I want chapter names or not.
> 
> Just so you know I’m only halfway through season three and on book 8 of the manga when writing this message out so try not to spoil too much for me! I normally don’t mind spoilers but for some reason I don’t want Attack on Titan spoiled too much, which is very odd for me.
> 
> I will try to update every Saturday or Sunday but that might not be very consistent as my schedule is very unpredictable for the next few months. My life is currently revolving around a musical and a few other activities. All while wearing a mask of course!
> 
> Stay safe everyone! Let me know what you think so far, I like these little snippets at the end of each chapter to expand on some of the other characters a bit. The story is mostly told from Ash’s perspective and what she thinks and feels about things, so it’s nice to see a different view every now and then even if it’s a very short section. Maybe once I finish this part of the story and move onto the next I’ll make a small one-shot collection for characters like Willow and Lefric who won’t be seen in this story.
> 
> -Akira aka Wolfiecat0159


	6. Chapter 6

**“How long we’ve been wishing for the things that we’re still missing” How long by The Paper Kites**

* * *

I looked around the street for anyone I felt would have seen anything. I spotted someone trying to sell a small collection of vegetables to anyone walking past her.

She paused when she spotted me walking over and stood extremely still, “Can I help you?”

“I need to know if you have seen anyone walk past that looked like they were up to something,” I told her.

She shook her head repeatedly, “Nope! Not me! Do you want any carrots though? They’re cheap.”

“No thanks,” I said. “Has anyone you know gone missing?”

She let out a nervous laugh. “No one I know. I think I might know of someone else though.”

“Can you tell me who?”

“Well, my friend was telling me that her friend's friend's sister had a friend go missing. I couldn’t believe what she was telling me, after all, why would someone unimportant go missing? And she was all ‘Olive I told you that my friends' sister doesn’t lie!’ And I told her that yes, she clearly does! I mean she lies about little things all the time so who is to say that she wouldn’t be lying about this?” The longer the vendor went on the faster she seemed to speak. “But no, my friend's friend's sister insists that her friend, Lotte Isla did in fact go missing! And I- “

I stopped her, “Lotte Isla?”

The vendor nodded, “Yes! Do you know her? Apparently, she was the daughter of someone who owns a book store on the other side of the city. That's pretty far from here! It’s where she was last seen. She says that Lotte is very quiet though, she doesn’t talk much. Still, I don’t know where she could have run off to. She’s twenty-three so she’s too old to be running away from home. Plus, I think she had plans to open her own bakery or something. Trying her best to make a living down here just like the rest of us.”

“Thank you,” I interrupted the vendor again. “What store does Lotte’s mother own?”

“Some old store called Isla Books. Family-run business. Are you sure you don’t want any carrots?”

“I’m sure. Do you have a map though of the city?”

The vendor again shook her head. “No, sorry. I’m sure you can find one somewhere though. Are you very very very sure you don’t want any carrots?”

I shook my head and left the carrot vendor alone. That was another name that we had now. We had three that Chimon had listed. Cassandra Miller, Ryan Miller, Xander Hansen. A few that were suspected, and now Lotte Isla. I started looking around for anyone selling some kind of map.

I did my best to stay on the main street. It was wide and open but full of people. I checked my watch again. It was 3:30 pm. Not exactly rush hour for those returning home.

I asked around more but no one else had information. Carrot girl seemed to be the only one and I thought briefly about asking her more questions. I decided that I would prefer not to speak with her again but it was worth trying to keep her in mind. Now I just needed to find a map of the city.

I stopped at another vendor.

“Can I help you, ma’am?” He asked me without meeting my gaze.

“I need a map,’ I told him. “Do you know where I can get one?”

He shook his head. “No, sorry. Most don’t ask for one. I’d try looking in an actual marketplace.”

“Which marketplace?”

“There is one close by, it's about two blocks down.”

“Do you know if anyone has gone missing?

He paused and started paying closer attention, “Yes. My friend's brother has. He was last seen near the local library.”

“Can you give me a description? A name?” I asked.

“His name is Fredrick Wilson. He’s about 30 with dirty blonde hair. He’s 5’10 as well.”

It wasn’t much but it was still something. “Thank you, I’ll do my best to find him.”

I turned around to leave and could have sworn I heard him say “Thank you.” But it was so quiet I couldn’t be sure. Maybe I had just imagined it. It was now starting to seem like there were more missing than originally thought. Just how many people had been taken?

I met back up with the others.

“Did you find anything?” Ame asked me.

“Yes,” I relayed the information I had gathered to them. Unfortunately, they didn’t have much luck either.

“We need to start finding leads and fast. These people seem to have been missing for a while before we were sent to help.” Peter said. “They could be anywhere by now.”

That couldn’t have been too much of a coincidence knowing my brother, it wouldn’t surprise me if he had known about all of this for weeks or even months depending on when this first started. I met Ame’s gaze and she seemed to be thinking the same thing I was. Most leads would be long gone by now. Still, I was determined to find the needle in the haystack hoping everything would become clearer afterward. Now I needed a map to mark down who had gone missing and where.

We walked to the closest marketplace that the second vendor I had talked to told me about. We searched for a map and finally found one from a market stall that seemed to be selling a miscellaneous variety of things.

“How much is the map?” Ame asked the vendor.

“30 dollars,” He said. “But for our military, it’ll be 25.”

“That’s way too much!” Monica started.

He stopped her, “Twenty-five or no map. Maps of the underground aren’t exactly commonplace anyways.”

Ame sighed and handed him the money. Finally, we had a map. We left the marketplace.

“We need to find a place to stay the night. From there we can start marking the map and figure out where to go. Tomorrow we need to start looking for a definite pattern,” Peter told us.

I agreed and we found a small hotel. Apparently, they were few and far between in the underground as we spent an hour looking for one. For tonight it would do. There were 2 beds and five of us. Monica insisted on the floor. That just meant more room for me and Ame to sleep.

Patrik looked troubled, he was gazing down at the floor while sitting on the edge of the bed.

“What's wrong?” Peter asked Patrik.

“I have no idea what I’m supposed to be doing here. I’m not anyone special in the military police and you are all part of the mapping squad in the survey corp. I’m not exactly the brains of the operation.” He confessed.

“You worry too much. We just here to keep an eye on them,” Monica said waving her hand dismissively. “I wouldn’t let it bother you.”

“I guess,” Patrik muttered.

“Hey don’t worry so much about it. You were chosen for a reason even if you don’t know it. We need all the help we can get, and we don’t deal with civilians like you do. We aren’t trained in that. You are and know how to calm the situations down between people. We just kill titans,” Peter reassured him. Patrik nodded and smiled, the blushed when Peter put a hand on his shoulder.

I circled the marketplace on the map and wrote: “Ryan Miller” next to it. I added his sister's name next to it as it was likely she disappeared in the same place. I did add a question mark next to his sister's name though. I also put Fredrick Wilson’s name on the library. Which wasn’t too far from the marketplace. The bookstore for Lotte Isla was though. With three people not much of a pattern could be seen but I hoped that we would be able to figure one out soon. I also made a list of the names we had on the back of the map.

“There is still time to keep asking around,” Patrik said.

Peter nodded. “We should also find food while we are out.”

We bought a small amount of food and I spotted a boy who looked like he was ten watching us. “Do you need anything?” I asked him.

He hesitated and pointed to the bread I was eating. I couldn’t ignore him so I walked over and handed it to him. “Have you known anyone who has gone missing?”

The boy shook his head and left. In a way, he reminded me of my sister Willow. She was quiet. I felt a small pang of homesickness for my life back before the walls fell. It hadn’t been easy but it was familiar. I thought of what it would be like if Willow had gone missing and I quickly brushed it away. She was safe now and still had goals in life. She loved to sew which was something she could do at home even when she wasn’t up to leaving the house. She always told me it was nothing to worry about.

I turned my thoughts back to the problem at hand. It felt like we were just traveling in circles looking for a lead that would never be found and it hadn’t even been a full day yet. Maybe we could get more information out of people if we offered to help them. A way to repay them in a sense. I guessed most people didn’t want to be involved. I told Ame where I was going and headed off back to carrot girl.

I bought a carrot. “What can you tell me about Lotte Isla. Keep it short please it’s important. What does she look like? Who is she related to?”

Carrot girl smiled. “Lotte Isla. Like I said her family owns a bookstore but I hear that they do black market dealings as well in the back of the shop. I’m not exactly too sure on what but it’s probably not good. She has dark hair and dark eyes. She has a round face and soft features. I also heard that one eye is lighter than the other but I could be wrong. She still lives with her parents. This is what my friend's friend's sister claims at least. My friend's friend isn’t good at remembering things and definitely exaggerates things as well. Which I really don’t understand. Anyways Lotte was last seen at that bookstore like I said. Her parents are named Lottie, but with an i-e instead of an e, and Kent. It’s weird she’s named after her mother but spelled differently. She doesn’t have a brother to be named after her father as far as I know. How would they even spell that? K-e-n-n-t? Maybe Kenneth?”

“Thank you,” I said quickly. “What's your name?”

“Karrie. Karrie with a K. But please don’t call me Karrie with a K. Just Karrie is fine.”

I thanked Karrie and started heading back. Maybe now I could get more information from Erik's family if we offered something in return. It had worked with Karrie.

I returned to the others and told them what Karrie had told me.

“We should head back to Erik’s tomorrow,” Peter said. “They probably won’t be willing to talk to us today.”

Patrik nodded, “I agree. Let them sleep and cool off.”

We went back to the hotel and Ame and I were the only ones still awake. Monica was asleep on the floor, Patrik and Peter were in the other bed.

“Do you think we’re going to find the missing people?” Ame asked me.

“Maybe,” I told her. “I don’t know.”

“Who do you think took them?”

I wasn’t sure. I wasn’t sure how much of it would be linked to one thing. People did go missing for a variety of things. I shivered and realized how cold it was down here. There was no sun to keep the earth warm, or rain to provide new water. It made a little more sense to me now why Captain Levi was cold. Still, even if Erens's tooth might grow back, losing one couldn’t have been anything but painful. I was tired of violent people. People like my brother.

“When we get out of here remind me to punch Chimon, okay?” Ame asked. “I don’t care about the consequences it will be worth it. I’m sure the survey corps will back me up on that front.”

I chuckled, “he does have a very punchable-looking face.”

Ame nodded, “Maybe I’ll even kick him.”

“I’m not so sure about that. Can we try to sleep now?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, for at least the rest of March updates will be all over the place. I had a tech week for a musical, which got shut down anyway, so now I'm waiting for that one to start up again while I have another going on. Yay two musicals! So, my schedule is pretty full. Hopefully, once the musicals are done I will have more time and energy to write! If anyone is interested my Instagram is akira_wolfiecat (I know weird username) where I hope to eventually post art of my characters (Once I learn to draw a bit better that is) so there is a better description of what they look like and maybe a bit more about their characters. Some characters like Tallulah I find pretty interesting but don't have a large role yet. See you soon hopefully!

**Author's Note:**

> Well, that was a fun chapter to write! I really wanted to focus on establishing who my characters are and I realized I hadn't even described them in the chapter! So I guess I should do that here so you know what Ame and Ash look like! Let me know if you want other character descriptions. They will come up later in the story but it’s nice to have it all in one place.
> 
> Ashleay Brooke goes by Ash.  
> Ash is 25, her birthday is October 26th. She stands at 4'10. She has brown skin and blue eyes. Her hair is dark brown and wavy, but she always keeps it in a braid so no one notices that. Her hair 
> 
> Amelia Hart goes by Ame  
> Ame is also 25 but a couple of months older. Her birthday is on August 24th. She stands at 5’6. She has pale skin and hazel eyes. Her hair is red-brown and when it’s not down it’s pulled up into a loose ponytail.
> 
> This story is mainly from Ash’s perspective. With some small sections at the start or end of a chapter if I feel that they are necessary. These will probably come at a chapter that is under 2,000 words. 2,000 words is what my brain has deemed how long my chapters in stories will be. I see no issues with that. The extra sections will also just be added whenever I think they fit, even if the main section itself is rather long.
> 
> Let me know what you think so far! The plot is going to really start in the third chapter. The first two are to establish who these characters are and what their goals are. I don’t want to rewrite what we have all probably seen/read. So most of these chapters take place in-between events which may mess with the timeline slightly. A three day gap could become a couple weeks.
> 
> This story will of course include spoilers. So, if you have not seen/read any of Attack on Titan but want to read fanfictions on it, keep that in mind. Have a wonderful day/night/morning/afternoon


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